The Changing Nature of Loads and Impact on Utilities

The main goal of this project is to investigate how a high penetration of “new” and existing load
technologies would affect the nature of utility electric load, and as a result, what effect this would
have on conventional planning and operation procedures. The investigation begins by looking at individual loads and devices and assessing their characteristics with regard to issues such as harmonic injection, voltage dependency, usage profile, pick-up/inrush current, power factor and other non-harmonic power quality concerns. With these loads aggregated to the feeder level in various ways, the impact on operation and planning functions is then be assessed. Some of these functions include: Conservation voltage reduction, Reactive power management, Energy efficiency, Peak shaving strategies, Power quality and reliability concerns, Load control and Demand-Side Management (DSM) programs. Existing load models are studied to determine how well they reflect the changing nature of
loads. Aggregated loads are simulated at the feeder level to assess the impact of aggregated
new loads on system planning and operations. A sensitivity study shows system tolerance to
mixes and penetrations of load types. The final is a 168-page report that details the methodology and findings.